Divorce Dated Technology

As web designers we realise that we operate in an industry that is driven by technology. Our day to day life is filled with more acronyms than an episode of your favourite medical drama! HTML/CSS/PHPŠ are all a key part of what makes your website physically work, but these days we can worry more about KPIs than which version of ASP.NET your website should use.

Why? Over the last 5 years open source technology has moved on, with larger communities such as Wordpress, Joomla and Magento leading the way. This power shift towards non-proprietary systems has meant that your designer can spend more time designing than coding. This in turn switches the emphasis of a web project away from technology development to achieving your objectives.

Downsides of bespoke technology

If your site is built with a bespoke framework the cost to change small elements of the website can sometimes be disproportionate to the return you plan to gain. This stunts progression in a sector where progression is a necessity for success. Furthermore, as a business owner you can feel trapped, wedded to your Web Designer, worrying about the risk they could potentially represent in your business.
Open Source technology changes everything
If you invest in technology that is freely available it means you can move provider without compromise. You know your Web Designer is spending less time writing code and more time thinking about your objectives than re-creating technology that already exists (at your cost).

Take control today

Ask yourself who is in control of your online destiny and if you are bound to bespoke technology that nobody but your developer knows their way around.
Determine what this means to your business and take action. In many cases redeveloping your current website with a system like Wordpress can reduce the cost of upgrade work and it gives you an opportunity to re-think certain areas that are not working for you.